Week 2: What is the Church’s Purpose and Function January 13, 2013

Review: Week 1; The Church It is a topic for everyone; Paul addressed the whole church because they were forsaking their first love, not just the leaders. We briefly discussed the urgency that being a church member should be to a believer. Our relationship with God incorporates a number of secondary personal relationships. The New Testament never conceives of the Christian existing for a prolonged period outside the fellowship of the church. The Church is really not a place; it is a people, Gods people.

Review continued: Week 1; The Church Keith Mathison wrote: If we were to look only at the surface, we could become tempted to hopelessness and despair. Thankfully, however, God reveals in Scripture the true meaning of our common confession — the true nature of the church. And despite the present imperfections that we see all around us and to which we contribute regularly, there is coming a day when God will tell the real church to please stand up. At that time the sheep will be separated from the goats, the wolves will be removed from the midst of the flock, and all pretense will fail. At that time we, the church, will be presented to our Lord Jesus Christ as a Bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. And we will cast our crowns at his feet, fall down “before the face of God” before the throne and declare: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” This is the real Church.

Joining an Actual Church A person doesn’t join the local church just because it is a good habit for growing in spiritual maturity. We join the church because it expresses what we have become in Christ, a member of Christ’s body. Most references to the church in the New Testament are to the local church. Relationship between membership in the Universal vs. Local church is similar to the relationship between the righteousness given to us by faith and the actual practice of righteousness by us daily.

Purpose and Functions Exalt the one true God in truth-centered, Spirit-filled, and joyous corporate worship that offers praise to God and enjoys His presence. Evangelize lost sinners who need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and submit to His Lordship, as we proclaim the gospel of God’s grace, and support missionaries who proclaim that gospel throughout the world. Effect, within God’s people, a glad-hearted submission to the authority of God’s Word and to the power of God’s Spirit. Express our deep dependence on God by nurturing the ongoing practices of individual and corporate prayer, including thanksgiving to Him, supplication for His aid, intercession for other Christians and for the unsaved, and repentance of sin

Purpose and Functions Establish distinctively Christian homes by helping people to joyfully live out their biblical responsibilities as spouses, parents, children, and/or singles. Encourage warm and caring fellowship and mutual concern among God’s people that they may exhort and emulate one another, with compassion and brotherly love, to grow in the knowledge and grace of God. Exhibit a devotion to purity within our local body of believers by the loving application of biblical means for confronting sin. Exhort believers to actively love God through obedience to Him and to love man by serving our brethren and by ministering to physical needs in the community in accordance with biblical principles. Exemplify Godly order through the leadership of a plurality of biblically-qualified elders.

Every Church Should Aspire to be Healthy What do we mean by healthy? It means we should increasingly see things like: Love Joy Holiness Unity Reverence before the Lord What are some others? A non-Christian, even if they recognize their sin, will say “I want my sin more than God.” A Christian will sin, but then turn to God and His word and ask for help to fight against sin We use the scriptures to see what God is like and through Gods spirit we are transformed into His image. This is what we want to see in our churches.

Image is Everything: Creation

Image is Everything: The Fall

Image is Everything: Israel

Image is Everything: Christ

Image is Everything: Church

Image is Everything: Glory

Displaying God’s Character From a practical standpoint what are we supposed to do to reflect God’s character? We must listen to God’s word and we must follow it. 2 Tim 4: 2-4: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. The primary challenge we face today as a church, is not how to be relevant or strategic or sensitive or even deliberate. It is figuring out how to be faithful, how to listen, how to trust and obey.

Giving an Account God will ask each member of the body: Did you rejoice with the other members of the body when they rejoiced? Did you mourn with those that mourned? Did you treat the weaker parts as indispensable, and did you treat the parts that most think less honorable with special honor? Did you give double honor to those that led and taught you? Are you ready for the day on which God will call you to account for how you loved and served the church family? Do you know what God says the church should be?

Class Outline What is a Healthy Church Week 1: The Church (What is a Healthy Church Chap. 1&2) Week 2: What is the Church’s Purpose and Function What is a Healthy Church Chap. 3&4 and Article II from PBC Constitution What are the “Essential” marks of a Healthy Church Week 3: Essentials of a Healthy Church What is a Healthy Church Chap 5, 6 & 7 Week 4: What the Church Believes Article III PBC Statement of Faith What are the “Important” marks of a Healthy Church Week 5: A Biblical Understanding of Conversion, Evangelism and Discipline. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 8, 9 and 11 Week 6: Church Membership Part 1. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 10 and 9Marks Church Membership book Week 7: Church Membership Part 2. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 10 and 9Marks Church Membership book Week 8: Biblical Discipleship and Church Leadership. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 12 & 13 What is a Healthy Church Member Week 9: A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener and Biblical Theologian. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 1 & 2 and Listen Up booklet Week 10: A Healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated and Genuinely Converted. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 3 & 4 Week 11: A Healthy Church Member is Biblical Evangelist and a Committed Member. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 5 & 6 Week 12: A Healthy Church Member Seeks Discipline and is a Growing Disciple. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 7 & 8 Week 13: A Healthy Church Member is a Humble Follower and a Prayer Warrior. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 9 & 10